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Music festival goers embrace brand sponsorship

Brand sponsorship does not diminish a festival’s authenticity, according to The Havas Sports & Entertainment Summer 2011 European Music Festival study.

The study found that for the consumer, the fact that a music festival has a title sponsor or a brand associated to it doesn’t make a difference to their experience. The quality of music is a key indicator for choosing which festival to attend, with 35% of the total score based on this factor.

According to Havas, the top 10 best festivals of the year are spread across eight European countries; lead by Ireland’s Oxegen Festival and followed by the UK’s Glastonbury and V Festival. Belgium’s Rock Werchter is fourth, followed by Pukkelpop in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 are Denmark‘s Roskilde, Serbia’s Exit Festival, Hungary’s Sziget Festival, Poland’s Coke Live Music Festival and Norway with its Øya Festival.

Eastern Europe has a clear stronghold on the most cost efficient festivals in Europe, with six of the top ten cheapest European rock festivals considered to be from Eastern Europe and Poland coming out on top.

The study also revealed that the UK’s Download Festival does the best job at engaging music fans via Facebook.

Jenni Baker, London